In early April, Vermont police reportedly apprehended a man after surveillance footage showed someone splattering liquid and then setting fire to the exterior door of Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) office.
According to federal prosecutors, the footage captured a male entering the Burlington, Vermont, building on Friday and making his way to Sanders’s offices on the third level. He used a portable lighter to set fire to the entrance door after dousing it with a liquid.
Local reports show that no one was wounded, but the building’s interior was damaged by the blaze and sprinkler system that flooded the area. Senator Sanders was not in the office. All others were safely evacuated from the office, and no injuries were reported.
The arsonist managed to get out of the building.
Police detained a male they subsequently identified as Shant Soghomonian (35) at a Burlington hotel. Police were informed by an employee that the man had been there for weeks.
Soghomonian tried to barricade his door when the police knocked on it. They apprehended the man without incident after forcing it open.
One of the charges against him was arson of a structure used for interstate commerce. If found guilty, Soghomonian might serve 20 years behind bars and pay a penalty of up to $250,000.
Reports show that while Soghomonian’s true intentions remain a mystery, he did allegedly contribute many times to Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
The suspected arson may have been premeditated rather than an unplanned occurrence, according to investigators.
In a short statement, Senator Sanders thanked local and federal law agencies for their responses and expressed gratitude that nobody was injured in the fire.
Soghomonian has not been assigned a court date. According to Vermont’s prisoner database, he is now held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
